No Miracle

No Miracle
Oct 13, 2014
Psalm 78:4  "We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done."

Miracles are amazing.  We've all seen one or two, maybe even experienced them ourselves.  There are times when we thought we needed a miracle, too, hoping the Heavenly Father would step in and defy the gravity of our situation.  But for every miracle we witness, it seems there are ten missed opportunities for the Lord to perform one for us.  I know I've seen the opportunity come and go, with the Lord deciding it wasn't time for a miracle.  Or maybe there is another reason why the Lord doesn't step in and defy gravity sometimes.  I've searched the Scriptures and have found something interesting every time a miracle happens.

Just in keeping to the New Testament for a moment, if there was a miracle performed by the Lord, then the Lord was given glory and news about Him and His mission spread. It seems the miracle was not just a healing ministry for the recipient or situation moving moment for someone else, but the Lord was honored and thanked, with a testimony ensuing.  A testimony is what the Lord appreciates when He is willing to defy gravity.  He wants you to honor and thank Him for the experience and He wants you to talk about it to others, declaring the Lord's amazing works in your life.  So often, we think our situation and miracle is isolated to us.  Nine such men thought their miracle was isolated to their desire for the miracle; they were not appreciative in the Bible.  Jesus healed ten men of leprosy, but only one thanked Him.  The nine men didn't thank Jesus so He chastised their actions, or lack thereof.  What a shame, to experience a miracle from Heaven only to be chastised by the Lord for not being thankful for it.  I doubt those men could have ever expected a miracle from the Lord again.

The Bible says we are to be thankful in everything, especially if making a bold request from the Lord.  If you are not thankful going ahead of the miracle, are you really going to be thankful after one has happened for you?  Sure, maybe you'll appreciate it for five minutes, but a year later are you still going to brag about the Lord's goodness to you?  Are you going to tell about it, declaring the Lord's amazing works in your life?  Are  you going to be thankful to the Lord for the rest of your days?  Are you going to share the experience with others right away and even ten years later; will you still be talking about it when you're old?  If you've experienced a miracle years ago, are you still appreciative and talking about it now?  It would be a good idea to revisit the miracles you've experienced, talk about it with others and declare the goodness of the Lord in your life.  Develop an appreciative attitude about the things the Lord has already done for you in your life.  Make a list of all the good things the Lord has done in your life and determine to share it with five or six people, making a purposeful effort.  Notice what happens when you do this.

In the Bible, a few times it was appropriate to keep the miracle a secret, because of safety's sake and the need for discretion to reduce the crowds.  But it had the opposite effect.  No where in the Bible is it recorded that a miracle recipient was able to keep it a secret.  In fact, it seems when they were asked to keep it under wraps, the news of it just spread like wildfire even more.  It is a natural response to a life-changing moment.  You have to talk about it.  If you've had a life-changing moment from the Lord, and you haven't talked about it in a while, even acknowledging it private between you and the Lord, maybe it is hindering future life-changing moments from the Him?  I'm not an expert in making miracles happen, otherwise I'd have more of them in my own life.  But I do know a thankful heart, being willing to share what the Lord has done is a critical piece of the miracle equation.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Ps 105:2, Ps 107:22, Is 63:7, Matt 4:24, Matt 9:31, Mk 1:43-44, Lk 17:11-17, Phil 4:6